Meet Zac Efron's New Leading Lady!

Canadian-born starlet Amanda Crew landed the role of a lifetime starring opposite hottie Zac Efron in the summer's soon-to-be blockbuster, Charlie St. Cloud (opening Friday, July 30). She plays Tess Carroll, Zac's love interest and an ambitious sailor who is preparing to sail around the world when she first catches Charlie's eye. Unfortunately, as Tess soon learns, life doesn't always deal you the cards that you had hoped for and she finds herself in a life-and-death situation with only one person who knows enough to save her. CG caught up with Amanda for some good old-fashioned girl talk where she told us all about her awkward moments on set, what the cast did together when the cameras weren't rolling and of course, what it was like to lock lips with Zac!

CosmoGirl: Why will girls love this film?

Amanda Crew: Well, I think number one is Zac Efron. [Laughs] He's not too hard to look at! And there are so many different messages in the story about life and living in the moment. It's not just your classic love story. Tess is not just a pretty girl - she has morals, she's strong, and she knows what she wants in life.

CG: What was your reaction when you found out you'd be playing Zac Efron's love interest?

AC: When I first read the script and knew Zac was playing [Charlie] it was exciting! We had read together a couple of times and he was always really cool. He did a good job of putting me at ease because that's kind of a stressful situation! He's so down-to-earth and humble and genuine and supportive.

CG: Aww! There are a lot of steamy scenes in this film, so were you nervous for your serious make-out sesh with Zac?

AC: I've done some of those scenes before so I was never really nervous. We spent so much time together before we started filming - we had rehearsals and sailing training. By the time we filmed those scenes, we had become so close that it wasn't awkward. Zac really put me at ease. But if we had filmed those scenes first, it would've been a lot more nerve-wracking!

CG: Okay, spill: is Zac a good kisser?

AC: [Laughs] Is that even a question? I think it's obvious! Of course he's a good kisser! He's this gorgeous boy, he's got a great personality, a great sense of humor and then you add that into the mix - it wasn't a hard job!

CG: Love it! So, did you guys have any embarrassing moments on set?

AC: All the sailing stuff was a struggle for me. I'm a huge klutz! There was a lot of falling over - my legs were covered in bruises! But it was really fun and I really started to get into it. At first, I was like "I don't know if I really like this," but when you're sailing on your own it's a really exhilarating feeling. Both Zac and I had personal trainers because we wanted to look like we could actually sail those boats. Not that Zac really had to put on any muscle mass. He's built!

CG: Do you have any fun stories from when the cameras weren't filming? Fun times with Zac, maybe?

AC: We hung out any moment that we weren't filming - Zac, Auggie [he plays Alistair], Davy [he plays Sully]. It was always a challenge to figure out places to go because Zac can't just go anywhere. Towards the end, we went up to Whistler for a weekend. Zac was staying at this amazing place and would have us over and we'd cook dinner. We even went zip lining up there! It was definitely a highlight for us.

CG: So fun! Any crazy fan encounters when you were spending all this time with Zac?

AC: The first day we filmed, we did a bunch of sailing stuff. We were fighting the daylight so we didn't take a lunch break - it was a super long day. At the end of the day, we got back to the marina and there's like a hundred girls standing there waiting for him. And even after that whole day, he stood out there for 45 minutes, signed everyone's picture, took photos, and talked to everyone.

CG: Aww! Zac is awesome BUT if you could star opposite any other hot actor, who would it be?

AC: There's just so many to choose from! [Laughs] It's weird but I've never really been the type to have fixations on the leading man actor. I've always been drawn more to the rock star. I love a guy on the microphone commanding an audience. I like indie bands where [the guys] have mountain beards and stuff. There's something sexy about that!

Will you be heading to the theater this weekend to watch Zac and Amanda lock lips in Charlie St. Cloud?

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Seventeen participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.